Alexa Jordan Kenin (February 16, 1962 – September 10, 1985) was an American actress known for her supporting roles in several films released during the 1980s, including ''

Little Darlings ''Little Darlings'' is a 1980 American teen comedy-drama film starring Tatum O'Neal and Kristy McNichol and featuring Armand Assante and Matt Dillon. It was directed by Ronald F. Maxwell. The screenplay was written by Kimi Peck and Dalene Youn ...

'' (1980), '' Honkytonk Man'' (1982), and ''

Pretty in Pink ''Pretty in Pink'' is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about love and social cliques in American high schools in the 1980s. A cult classic, it is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film. It was directed by Howard Deutch, produc ...

'' (1986) which was released after her death.

Career

Kenin was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Her parents divorced when she was young and her mother, actress Maya Kenin, married character actor John Ryan. Kenin began acting as a child and won her first professional part with a supporting role in the 1972 holiday TV special ''

The House Without a Christmas Tree ''The House Without a Christmas Tree'' is a 1972 television movie, novelized into a children's book by Gail Rock in 1974, that centers on the relationship between Adelaide "Addie" Mills (Lisa Lucas), a bright and energetic only child, and her mela ...

'', which starred

Jason Robards Jason Nelson Robards Jr. (July 26, 1922 – December 26, 2000) was an American actor. Known as an interpreter of the works of playwright Eugene O'Neill, Robards received two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the Cannes ...

and Lisa Lucas. In 1977, Kenin appeared in

John Guare John Guare ( ;; born February 5, 1938) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He is best known as the author of '' The House of Blue Leaves'' and '' Six Degrees of Separation''. Early life He was raised in Jackson Heights, Queens.Druckman ...

's ''

Landscape of the Body ''Landscape of the Body'' is a two-act play by John Guare, first performed in 1977. Synopsis The play is episodic and non-linear, as it travels back and forth in time. The plot centers on a woman named Betty, whose son, Bert, was recently murdere ...

'' at

The Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American Li ...

and in the off-Broadway production of ''Elusive Angel''. The following year she played

David Janssen David Janssen (born David Harold Meyer) (March 27, 1931February 13, 1980) was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Richard Kimble in the television series '' The Fugitive'' (1963–1967). Janssen also ...

's daughter in the television miniseries '' The Word''. In December 1980, she portrayed the role of "Libby" in the touring production of

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

's ''

I Ought to Be in Pictures ''I Ought to Be in Pictures'' is a comedy drama play written by Neil Simon, his 18th. The play opened on Broadway in 1980. It was subsequently made into a film, released in 1982. The play involves a film screenwriter who has abandoned his famil ...

'', starring

Bill Macy Wolf Martin Garber (May 18, 1922 – October 17, 2019), known professionally as Bill Macy, was an American television, film and stage actor, best known for his role in the CBS television series '' Maude'' (1972–1978). Early life Bill ...

and Patricia Harty. She also guest starred in several episodes of '' ABC Afterschool Special'', and in the 1982 TV film '' A Piano for Mrs. Cimino'' opposite

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...

. At the age of 17, Kenin and her mother moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

after her mother divorced John Ryan. Kenin attended

Beverly Hills High School Beverly Hills High School (usually abbreviated as Beverly or as BHHS) is the only major public high school in Beverly Hills, California. The other public high school in Beverly Hills, Moreno High School, is a small alternative school located on B ...

while also maintaining her acting career. In 1979, she was cast in the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

sitcom ''

Co-Ed Fever ''Co-Ed Fever'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS in 1979. The series attempted to capitalize on the success of the motion picture ''National Lampoon's Animal House''. It was the third of three "frat house" comedy series to air in early 1 ...

''. The series was canceled after one episode. The following year, she co-starred in the teen comedy ''

'', starring

Kristy MacNichol Christina Ann McNichol (born September 11, 1962) is an American former actress. She is known for such film roles as Angel in ''Little Darlings'', Polly in '' Only When I Laugh'', and Barbara Weston in the TV sitcom ''Empty Nest''. She won two Emmy ...

and

Tatum O'Neal Tatum Beatrice O'Neal (born November 5, 1963) is an American actress. She is the youngest person ever to win an Academy Award, winning at age 10 for her performance as Addie Loggins in '' Paper Moon'' (1973) opposite her father, Ryan O'Neal. S ...

. In 1982, Kenin guest-starred on episodes of '' The Facts of Life'' and ''

Gimme a Break! ''Gimme a Break!'' is an American television sitcom created by Mort Lachman and Sy Rosen, that aired on NBC for six seasons from October 29, 1981, to May 12, 1987. The series starred Nell Carter as the housekeeper for a widowed police chief ( ...

''. In the same year she played, in '' Honkytonk Man'', the part of an aspiring young singer alongside Clint Eastwood as he makes his way to Nashville. One of Kenin's final roles was in the John Hughes film ''

'' (1986), released after her death.

Death

On September 10, 1985, Kenin's body was found in her Manhattan apartment. Kenin’s death certificate noted that her death resulted from complications of asthma. She is buried in

New Montefiore Cemetery New Montefiore Cemetery is a Judaism, Jewish cemetery located in West Babylon, New York. History Montefiore Cemetery Corporation had been maintaining Montefiore Cemetery in Springfield Gardens, Queens since 1908. The corporation bought 250 acres ...

West Babylon, New York West Babylon is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 43,213 at the 2010 census. Geography West Babylon is located at (40.713399, -73.357106). West Babylon is bord ...

Filmography

References

External links

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archive
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kenin, Alexa 1962 births 1985 deaths 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American Jews Actresses from New York City American child actresses American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Burials at New Montefiore Cemetery Jewish American actresses People from Manhattan